Investors who acquire an equity stake in a publicly traded company as a means of attempting to influence the company's practices or policies. Shareholders can be ethically motivated, for example wanting an improvement in the environmental or social impact of a business, or interested mainly in changing its business strategy or management.
Greenmail refers to the practice of purchasing a substantial block of a company’s shares and then selling them back to the company at a premium over the market price, often to prevent a hostile takeover bid. This contentious tactic is more prevalent in jurisdictions like the United States, where companies can more freely repurchase their shares.
